Host-Microbe Interactions

1 - Host-Microbe Interactions 

2 – Pathogenic Interactions,  Microbiome 

3 –The human body is the site of a complex and continuing competition between microbes, and the result of this competition shapes our immune response, metabolic state, and even the structure of our genome.  To the microbe, we are simply an environment that can be exploited to propagate its genetic material.  Some accomplish this using a symbiotic lifestyle, and provide essential metabolic functions in return for a hospitable niche.  Others exploit the interaction and gain a competitive advantage by damaging host tissue.  The greatest challenge for our immune system is promoting colonization by the former, while eradicating the latter.  In Microbiology we employ a multiscale strategy, combining simple model systems with clinical and epidemiological studies, to understand the microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions that influence human health.    

4 – After coevolving with humans for tens of thousands of years, Mycobacterium tuberculosis is by many measures the world’s most successful pathogen.  This single bacterium has infected a third of the global population, and kills millions each year.  The development of transformational new interventions for this disease relies on understanding the fundamental biology that determines the outcome of an infection.  The Sassetti lab applies a combination of mammalian and bacterial genetic strategies to understand the intricate interactions between phenotypically-diverse host and pathogen influence pathogenesis and the response to therapy.